The title of this post makes me want to laugh – or maybe cry.
What is there to say about 2020 that hasn’t either been said before, or would be completely inadequate to convey the intense emotions we’ve all experiences this year?
Every year, I write about my goals for the next 12 months. The start of 2020 was momentous for me: I’d made the decision to go part-time at my day job to pursue my writing career and build up some freelance work. I was anxious about the change, worried about my finances and afraid it might be the wrong decision.
But I went with it. And I even wrote that my word for the year would be transition.
Oh, how little did I know. This year has been more transitional than I ever thought possible. I’ve gone from a full-time job, to part-time, to being furloughed, to working freelance, to being made redundant, to another part-time job and even more freelance work.
My goals for 2020 were:
- To make 100 writing related submissions.
- To read more adventurously.
- To spend more time with my husband (and dog).
- To feel grateful.
- To set up an office.
So how did I get on?
100 submissions
I decided to aim for 100 submissions this year as I thought it might give me a small chance of having a few successes. It was a huge amount of work, but I managed it. While I’m not sure my success rate was that good, this was really helpful in treating myself as a writer, learning to pitch for work and write a good proposal. It has also been a good networking exercise and I’ve made some contacts who I hope to work with in the future.
My submissions covered quite a few areas: short stories, creative practitioner work, freelance editing and teaching, freelance marketing and copywriting, as well as my novel. I quickly realised it was too much to do at once, so my year became a patchwork of projects, as I could concentrate on only two or three things at once, alongside work. For the first half of the year, I spent a lot of time writing and submitting short stories, before finishing the first draft of my next novel while on furlough over the summer (who could have thought that writing would come so easily without a day job clogging up my brain), and then concentrating on freelance work.
Of the 100 submissions I made, I had the following results:
- 68 rejections
- Nine still waiting to hear
- Three things had the deadline extended, one of these was a solid expression of interest, pending funding
- Eight successes
- Three stories withdrawn after they were placed elsewhere
- Nine partial successes (stories short or longlisted in competitions including two that will be published, interviews for freelance work that I wasn’t chosen for or that led to something else)
I also succeeded in getting several pieces of freelance work that weren’t included on my submission tracker, so overall it’s been a worthwhile thing to do.
This year’s successes included receiving a K Blundell Trust grant from the Society of Authors to enable me to edit my next book, four short stories published, a place on the DHA Open Day for Underrepresented Writers, freelance work and my first creative practitioner commission.
Reading
This year – surprisingly – I managed to finish 50 books. I’m not sure how, as reading often felt like a battle, something that was sacrificed to exhaustion and endless amounts of work.
I shared a list of the books I read between January and June and I’ll write about the rest soon. Once lockdown began, I made an effort to buy books from indie bookshops and publishers, although I’m not sure I could call my reading adventurous. In the end it was enough to pick up a book at all. I wanted comfort, distraction from the world outside and my own anxiety.
Family time
Unsurprisingly, I spent a lot of time with my husband this year. Having the chance to go for daily dog walks was one of the highlights of my year, as my in-laws usually take our dog while we’re at work so in normal times we only get to take her out over the weekend.
Spending time outdoors gave me much needed perspective and a break from work stresses. It’s a ritual I don’t want to give up once the Covid-19 crisis ends.
Gratitude
This has been a difficult year for everyone and I’ve had some very low spells, including a prolonged redundancy and family health problems. But I’m fortunate to have a home, loving family, great friends, my health and savings in the bank.
Office space
Despite spending most of the year working from home, I haven’t taken the plunge and set up a proper office, instead I divide my time between the dining room table (day job and Zoom calls) and the sofa (writing and freelance work). It’s not the best for creating a separation between work and life, but at this point I have to accept I’ve got a serious resistance to the idea of a proper office space.
Whether it’s because on some level I know I won’t use it, or I’m scared to give myself permission to have a dedicated space and make my writing life more official, I don’t know.
Final thoughts
Overall, 2020 has been a tough year.
At times, my anxiety has been difficult to deal with. But I’ve made some real strides with my writing career and built a solid body of freelance work. I’ve met (over Zoom) lots of lovely, interesting people, mentored some brilliant writers and worked on fantastic projects.
As with the last few years, I’ve pushed hard and found it increasingly difficult to take a break. Thanks to the restrictions, travel hasn’t really been an option this year, so it’s been hard to take a proper rest. The time off I have had mostly involved sitting on the sofa watching Netflix and worrying about work.
Right now, this year feels like it’s been a slog. I’m drained and worried about the progression of Coronavirus in the UK, not to mention Brexit. Things don’t feel good. But if I take a step back, objectively this year has had many positives. I made much more progress with the journey towards a creative career than I expected and furlough gave me the chance to pursue my writing further.
Hopefully 2021 will bring me closer to the writing life I’ve been trying to build and life will begin to look more positive.
Jan Wolfe says
It certainly has been a year for us all to remember, and we all have had different experiences. You have been on my mind this last few weeks, as Brexit has approached, hoping that your novel doesn’t expose itself as premonitory in the aftermath!! As for office space – empathise with you. My table is my work place, and my sofa my “other” place. Happy New Year, and I hope it proves to be a better one for everyone.
Amy Lord says
Thanks Jan, I definitely hope the story doesn’t come true! Fingers crossed 2021 will bring some good.